Marry Me
by Solo Ensemble
Summary: A short, short story. Kind of goofy. Kind of smutty. Jason and Elizabeth already have a professional relationship, and work on a romantic one.
1. Chapter 1

Prompt - Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk

**Prompt - Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut. Ernest Hemingway**

**Note **– Thanks to **Jen **for the hilarious prompt, and for being a member here at Solo Ensemble.

**Single Malt For the Romantic's Soul**

Elizabeth wasn't surprised at all when she walked into her boss's office and found Jason Morgan, head of Morgan Enterprises, reclining in his chair with his feet on the desk and a cold compress on his head.

"What happened to you?"

Jason looked up at the sound of her voice and managed a weak smile for his assistant. An employee of Morgan Enterprises for the past five years, Elizabeth Webber was far from being a lowly assistant and was actually his right-hand woman. The sad truth – and everyone knew this – was that nothing would get done at ME without her.

"Tied on a few last night."

She grimaced and lifted his cold compress off his head. Jason swore by ice packs in alleviating his scotch-induced migraines and though she'd never understand the way his body worked, she liked for him to be comfortable. Even when he went out and did stupid things like getting drunk.

Jason studied her derriere as she walked over to the wet bar and refilled his makeshift ice pack. God, he loved those pencil skirts. Those combined with her silk blouses that she always left just a little unbuttoned at the top to allow the briefest of tantalizing peeks and he'd pant after her all day long. He was pretty sure he already did.

"Where were you this time? The Black Pearl in New York? Starlight in Manhattan? Or slumming at Jake's again?"

"None of the above," he murmured, eyeing her bottom one last time before she could turn around and catch him. "I was at home."

"Oh?" Elizabeth knelt by him and arranged the ice pack on his head, idly brushing a few loose locks of hair away from his face. "Having a party?"

"Not exactly," Jason winced, closing his eyes and blocking out that infernally bright morning light.

Elizabeth arched a brow at him, then had the nerve to look amused. "Okay, something happened. What was it? Spill it, Jason, I want to know."

"You're the worst friend I've ever had," he groused good-naturedly, knowing it to be a lie. "Can't you let me keep some of my dignity?"

"Dignity? Never heard of it," she chirped, sliding onto his desk and crossing her legs. She looked at him expectantly, not even noticing how his gaze betrayed him by running up and down her legs before he remembered himself and met her gaze again. "Tell me."

He couldn't imagine how any man could resist any word those plush lips of hers formed. "I…It was an interesting night."

Her little smile turned into a smug grin. She always won their little battles of wills. "A party?"

"Not really. More like…me and a girl I met at Jake's a couple weeks ago. We've been seeing each other since then."

He was probably imagining it, but her eyes dimmed a little even though that impish grin remained firmly in place. "Yeah? What was this one's name?"

Jason glared at her. "You make it sound like there were thousands before her."

Elizabeth shook her head. "No, only hundreds, but go on."

He considered glaring at her again, but it wouldn't have done any good. "Her name was Sam. Sam…SomethingOrOther. McGinnis. McAllister. Something like that."

"Okay, okay. So what happened that you're so embarrassed about?"

Jason groaned and let his head fall back. "I made another drunken proposal."

Elizabeth's jaw dropped. _"Another _one? Really? What's that make?"

"Six in the past month," Jason groaned again. "Six times I've proposed to random women that don't mean anything to me."

"While drunk," Elizabeth pointed out. "I wonder what's behind all of this."

He lifted his head. "Are you kidding? I'm _drunk _– there's scotch behind all of this, that's it."

"I'm not so sure," she murmured, idly scratching her calf and not noticing what that little gesture did to him. "They say that the only kinds of people that tell the truth are small children and drunks. There's something in you that's making you throw proposals around like so much confetti."

Jason huffed, not liking her analysis one bit. "What are you saying?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "Just that there's obviously something behind this, something inside you that you probably repressed or are insecure about or afraid of. Maybe you should think about talking to someone about this."

"I talk to _you_," he pouted. "Isn't that enough?"

"I meant a professional," she replied gently, stroking his hair back from his face. Jason, besides being the best boss a girl could have hoped for, was one of her closest friends in the world. They had clicked since the moment they met at her second interview, and they'd been inseparable at work ever since. And she hated the thought of him going through whatever it was that he was going through alone.

"Someone who can help you find out why you're doing this," she added. "You can always talk to me, Jason, you know that, but I can't give you the answers that will help you."

He remained silent for a long moment, then shook himself out of it. "I'll just have to be more careful, that's all."

"So what happened when you woke up this morning?"

"When I woke up Sam made me breakfast," he admitted with a grimace. "And it was only when she wouldn't shut up about beach weddings that I figured out what I had done."

"So? What did you do?"

He snorted. "Told her there was no way I was marrying her."

Elizabeth pulled a face. "How'd she take it?"

"She got mad and left and said she didn't want to see me anymore."

"Sorry."

Jason just shrugged. "It's not that big a deal. She was getting boring anyway."

He caught the way she rolled her eyes at that but didn't bring attention to it. "Listen, I have a favor to ask you. You got anything going on after work today? I'm having dinner with a business associate and his wife and I need you to come with me."

"Sorry, I can't," she grinned, hopping off the desk in one smooth, fluid motion. "Lucky's taking me out to dinner. I'm pretty sure he wants to set the date. Or, he's going to ask me to elope! In that case, I'll need a very long weekend."

It was his turn to make a face as soon as her back was turned. Lucky Spencer was her loser fiancé. The two of them had gotten engaged five months earlier and were in the process of planning their wedding. Elizabeth had confessed once after a few shots of tequila that she told Lucky they wouldn't sleep together again until after the wedding, and that it was going surprisingly well. Personally, Jason couldn't figure how any man after having slept with Elizabeth wouldn't go out of his fucking mind if denied having her even for the short span of five months.

"Take your sister," she suggested, picking up her files and preparing to head into her adjacent office. "Or, hey, idea, ask Amelia to go with you."

"She's _your _assistant."

"So?" Elizabeth shrugged. "She's brilliant, she's charming, and she makes a beautiful first impression. Plus, she's classier than any of the skanks you date, and she's sure to impress this associate of yours. You know, since I can't be there to dazzle him with my presence," she added with a grin.

"Later, Jason."

"Have…fun tonight."

* * *

"So why'd you cancel on Jax? He'll probably hand the account over to Sonny at Corinthos Industries."

"Let him," Jason snorted from behind his second glass of scotch. "If he's stupid enough to work with Sonny, then he deserves whatever he gets."

Johnny Zacchara of the Zacchara organization eyed Jason warily as he downed the rest of his scotch in one go and reached for the bottle again. "You sure you want another drink, Jase?"

His friend scowled and snatched at the bottle. "Yeah, and I don't need you asking me about it."

"Fine, fine," Johnny replied, holding up his hands. "But I'm not driving you home when you're so piss-drunk you can't even see straight. I don't need you throwing up in the Benz. I just had it cleaned."

"What's got him like this?" Nikolas Cassidine wanted to know. "Come on, Jason, what'd you do? Make another proposal?"

He hunkered down and glared at the amber liquid in his glass. "That's not it. But, yeah, I did."

Patrick Drake let out a low whistle. "What is that, the seventh this month?"

"Sixth," Jason all but snarled. "Give me some credit."

"So if it's not that, what is it?" Johnny wanted to know. "You've been pissy all night and if you're going to be like this, well, we might as well ply you with scotch until you're at least halfway fun again."

"It's nothing."

"That's a woman's answer and you know it," Patrick snorted. "What the hell is going on with you?"

"I bet it's a girl," Spinelli announced. All the men turned around and stared at him. "What? I haven't said anything in a while. But it's a girl, isn't it?"

"Which one?" Nikolas wanted to know. "One that you proposed to?"

Jason groaned and dropped his head. "No, I haven't proposed to her. I can't propose to her. Someone else already did."

"Does she work with you?" Patrick wanted to know.

"Yeah, otherwise I wouldn't fucking have this problem, would I?" He covered his face with his hands and let out a loud groan. "Where'd I put the scotch?"

"Let me take a wild guess," Johnny drawled, "She's engaged, she works with you, she's your best friend, she's helped you run your company for the past few years, she's a brunette with big old blue eyes, and her name starts with an Eliza- and ends with a –beth."

Jason didn't move his hands from his face.

Patrick couldn't quite help it and let out a hoot of laughter. "You still have a thing for Elizabeth? Buddy, I hate to be the one to break this to you, but that ship has sailed. A long time ago."

Nikolas smacked him upside the back of the head. "That's not what he needs to hear right now."

Spinelli tapped his nails on the tabletop. "Jason, I'm wondering if this isn't just a case of _fin amour_."

Johnny made a face. "Fin-a-What?"

"_Fin amour_," he repeated. "Eternal love. You've wanted her for so long that you've fallen in love with wanting her, not necessarily her."

Jason peeked out from between his fingers. "That's the fucking dumbest thing you've ever said."

"I think it's plausible," Spinelli replied defensively. "Just think about it. What if you had her? What if you had her, and you didn't get to cleanse and purify your soul with this eternal, purging love? What if you had her? Would you even know what to do with her?"

That was rich coming from a kid whose closest sexual encounter was the time he put his pants on too quickly after taking them out of the dryer.

The corner of Jason's mouth hooked upward. "Oh, I'd know what to do with her…"

* * *

_Quite some time later…_

Patrick couldn't stop laughing, Nikolas was choking on his scotch, Johnny was beet red, and Spinelli was taking copious notes. All of this was because Jason had just spent quite some time describing in great, graphic detail, every single thing he would do to Elizabeth Webber if given half a chance.

He was pretty drunk by the end of it, and his words were starting to slur. But this didn't bother Johnny and Spinelli, who discreetly put their heads together while Jason and Patrick were sloshing out some more scotch.

"Did you get it?"

Spinelli held up his video phone and grinned. "Caught all of it, right from the start."

"Well, this begs the question," Johnny grinned back. "Who do we show it to first?"


	2. Chapter 2

Prompt - Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk

**Prompt – Actions speak louder than words.**

**Note **– Thanks to **Tamara **for the prompt and for being a member here at Solo Ensemble! This story is a continuation of the previous SEMMFF entitled _Single Malt for the Romantic's Soul_.

**Mexican Cartwheels**

"Is that Elizabeth?"

Johnny frowned at the petite brunette sitting all alone at a rickety little table at Jake's with a half-full bottle of whiskey. "What's a girl like her doing here? Come on, let's go see what's going on?"

They made their way over to the dark, quiet corner of Jake's, safely away from the larger crowds, and both men glanced at each other before hesitantly pulling out chairs on either side of her.

"Hey," Spinelli tried to smile when Elizabeth looked up at them. "Elizabeth – why are you crying?"

"Is everything all right?" Johnny jumped in quickly. "Do you need anything? Is there anything we can do?"

"Nothing," she sniffled, waving his hand away so that she could reach the bottle. "Nothing anyone can do."

Spinelli's lips settled into a thin line. "What happened, Elizabeth? Why are you crying? Who made you cry?"

She let out a little sob, half choking on the whiskey, and slapped Johnny's hand away when he tried to take the liquor from her. "Lucky's an ass."

"Your fiancé?"

"Ex-fiancé," she corrected before her head fell onto her arms and she let out a quaking sob. "Son of a bitch."

Johnny winced and awkwardly settled his hand on her back, giving her a gentle pat. He had known Jason for a couple of years, but Jason never really brought Elizabeth around his male friends so they didn't really know her that well.

"What happened? Jason was saying the two of you were having dinner last night to set a date for your wedding."

She hiccupped and snatched her glass up again. "Obviously, that didn't happen."

Johnny licked his lips. He had absolutely no idea how to talk to women – in a not trying-to-get-laid kind of way – but this particular woman happened to be important to his friend Jason, so he wanted to make the effort. "So what did happen?"

"I thought we were going out for a nice dinner," she hiccupped. "It was supposed to be so romantic. We were going to set the date…or elope. One of the two."

She shook her head and, finding her glass empty, took a swig straight from the bottle. "Guess what he did."

Spinelli winced. "He stood you up?"

Elizabeth snorted and took another swig as Johnny eyed her appreciatively. "No. He told me that he asked me out to dinner because he wanted to tell me something important. The bastard got Maxie Jones pregnant and she's keeping the baby."

Johnny and Spinelli stared at her. "Maxie Jones?"

"But she's a teenager," Spinelli sputtered. "That's illegal!"

Elizabeth let out a wail and let her head fall back in her hands. "I'm such an idiot. I can't believe it. It's my fault, too."

Johnny choked on the sip of whiskey he was sneaking from her bottle. "What? Honey, you have got to be kidding me. It's not your fault that horse's ass couldn't keep it in his pants."

"I was the one who said no sex til we got married," she sighed forlornly. "I was the one. Don't you get it? I set this whole thing in motion thinking it was romantic and an affirmation of our love, and I just screwed myself while he went out and screwed Maxie."

She reached out and grabbed Spinelli's shirt, hauling him up to her face. "I haven't had sex in more than five months."

Spinelli blinked. "I haven't had sex in ever."

Johnny let out a groan. "You never admit that out _loud_, idiot. What a nube."

Elizabeth let him go and reached blindly for the bottle. "So it's over. It's all over. I never want to see that lying dog's face again. And to think of all the time I wasted."

"What do you mean?"

She gestured emptily into the air. "All this time that I spent with one man that treated me so horribly. I gave up some of my friends for him. I gave up my dreams for him. I almost gave up _Jason _for him."

Spinelli's brows shot up. "What do you mean?"

"Lucky hates Jason," Elizabeth grumbled. "He always has. He hates that we're such good friends and he told me to quit working for him. When I wouldn't, we got into a huge fight. We made up a week later and that was when Lucky proposed. I was so stupid to accept."

"You thought you could make something work," Johnny told her. "You weren't stupid. Just human."

"All this time," Elizabeth murmured. "All this time that I could have been using to paint or sketch or design clothes or go out dancing or meet new people – or, heck, have sex."

Spinelli's lips twitched, and he knew an opportunity when it came knocking. He discreetly pulled his video phone out of his pocket under the table and turned to her. "Gee, I don't know, it's been five months. You sure you still remember how?"

Elizabeth looked up slowly and glared at him. "What?"

"Well, remember how to have sex," Spinelli shrugged as Johnny stared at him, silently asking if he'd gone crazy. "You know, we were talking to Jason about this the other night. So, would you know how?"

"What?!"

"Like, say you were going to have sex with Jason," he proposed, trying not to grin and give it away as he switched his phone to recording mode. "What would you do?"

Elizabeth's lips twitched into a wicked smile. "What _wouldn't _I do to him?"

* * *

_Quite some time later…_

Johnny and Spinelli both sat slack-jawed and staring at Elizabeth, who had just finished describing every single naughty thing she would do to Jason Morgan's body if given half the chance and was now demurely sipping her whiskey.

"Wow," Johnny murmured. "It's always the nice ones that surprise you."

"Can you describe the last thing you said?" Spinelli wanted to know as he held his pencil to his little notepad. "I didn't quite catch the end part."

Johnny rolled his eyes. "So how come you never told Jason you had feelings for him?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "What would it matter? I was dating Lucky at the time, and we work together. Besides, Jason's not a one-woman man. It would never work because he'd get bored and move on to some other skank, and I'd end up with a broken heart."

Spinelli tilted his head to the side. "Do you like movies?"

She stared at him. "What?"

"Do you like movies?" he asked again, holding up his phone. "Because I've got one here that I think you might like."

* * *

_The next day…_

Jason woke up late and wouldn't have even gotten out of bed if he hadn't heard a knock at the door. Elizabeth was probably lounging around in bed right now, too, with that asswipe fiancé of hers. They'd probably set the date for their wedding by now. They'd be getting married, and he'd go back to randomly proposing to random women.

Fucking fabulous.

"Coming, coming," he groused when the person at the door became more insistent. It was probably Spinelli or Johnny coming to check up on him. He'd gotten stinking drunk the night before and they were probably worried that he proposed to another gold-digger.

"What the hell do you want?"

His snarl quickly died on his lips when he found Elizabeth Webber leaning against the threshold of his door. She had a pair of mini headphones on and had hooked them to her phone, and was apparently watching something on the LCD screen.

She lifted her gaze coolly to his and lifted her phone, arching a brow when his jaw dropped at the sight of his very drunken ramblings from the night before.

"Jason?"

He gulped and forced himself to meet her gaze. He was going to fucking kill Johnny and Spinelli for this one. They'd gone too far this time. "…Yeah?"

She took a small, commanding step into his penthouse and pulled the headphones out. "You wanna show me what a Mexican cartwheel is?"


	3. Chapter 3

Prompt - Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk

**First, Second, Third (Super NC-17)**

"Are you drunk?"

"No. Are you hung over?"

Jason blinked. "Yes."

The corner of her mouth hooked up as Elizabeth walked into his penthouse suite, kicking the door shut behind her. "Well, then. At least we got the little details ironed out."

He licked his lips, backing up with each step she took, and glanced at her telephone. "Where did you, uh, I mean, how did you-"

"It's not important," she replied, clicking her phone shut and gently setting it down on a little end table along with her purse as she claimed another step. "What _is _important is that you stick to your word and do all the things you said you'd do to me if you had the chance."

He was a man that didn't blush – on principle, if that were possible – but even Jason could feel the heat rise in his face. "I-I don't-"

"Really, Jason?" Elizabeth was calm, eerily calm, as she slowly undid the knot of her sweater wrap and peeled it off, letting it drop on one of his armchairs as she backed him into the living room. "Because you were quite specific. And quite graphic."

Ah, fuck.

"Look, I'm so sorry if I offended you," he started, putting his hands up as she prowled nearer. "That – That's just how guys talk sometimes. It's stupid and – and offensive and…I wasn't serious about it."

Her lips puckered in a small pout. "Oh? That's too bad."

And before he could say anything else, she planted her hands on his chest and shoved him down onto the couch, straddling his hips before he could do more than look up at her in shock.

"Because I was looking forward to all the things you said you'd do to me."

Jason gaped up at her as she popped the top button on her shirt. "Elizabeth-"

"No more talking," she purred, planting her hands on his shoulders and forcing him back down when he tried to prop himself up. "Don't think, Jason, just feel."

He swallowed roughly, lying back on the cushions now as she loomed over him, rapidly unbuttoning his shirt and pulling the tails out of his pants. "Wait, maybe we should slow down."

That actually got to her. Stripping both sides of his shirt back and off his chest, Elizabeth braced her weight against him and tossed her hair away from her face. Her eyes as she gazed down at him were not stormy and hard like he expected for an engaged woman making such a pass at another man – even though he guessed by her willingness to do this alone that she was no longer engaged, and therefore looking for revenge sex – but clear and luminous, entirely knowing and resolute.

"I don't."

He tried not to shiver when she skimmed her fingers down his side, exciting all the nerve endings there. "Elizabeth, you're obviously upset about something, and I don't think we should rush into this."

She tilted her head to the side just a bit, her gaze turning soft and just slightly sympathetic now. Almost tenderly, she reached out and brushed his hair out of his face, bending down to gently brush her lips against his in the barest of caresses that left him gasping for more.

"You've wanted me for so long," she murmured, resting her forehead against his. "I was never able to let myself give in to it.

"Until now," she finished, swiveling her hips just enough to let him know that this would happen one way or another. And Jason let himself give into it as well, just for a moment, when she pressed her lips to his and kissed him soundly. She caught his bottom lip between hers and tugged slightly before kissing the corners of his mouth and uniting the two with an innocent swipe of her tongue.

Jason reached up and brushed her hair away from her face, holding it at the nape of her neck and using his hold on her to control the pressure of the kiss. And when both of them had to pull away to draw in a breath, he used his hold on her to gently bring her gaze to his once more.

"I-" He had to clear his throat as she gazed down at him, her eyes trusting and just a little confused. "Elizabeth, I just don't want you to have any regrets."

Because there was no way in hell that he would, and she seemed to understand that. He was far too selfish to tell her to leave, or to get up and leave himself. It didn't matter if it was just for one night, either. Sure, it would kill him the next day when she returned to her fiancé, but-

"What about Lucky?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "I don't want to talk about Lucky."

Jason squirmed when she started to feather kisses along the line of his jaw. "Elizabeth-"

"Jason." Her gaze was firm and her expression made it clear that she wouldn't tolerate any argument. "He's not in the picture anymore. Not at all."

Her eyes softened and she gently brushed his hair out of his eyes, trailing her thumb down his cheek. "It's just you and me."

And again, Jason was far too selfish to remind her that it was never just the two of them, that never in the history of 'them' had it ever been just the two of them. Instead, he lay back and let her kiss him. Her movements were slow, deliberate, and tortuous for them both, but Jason let her do as she pleased. Really, he was quite happy with his hands settled right on her bottom, and was above complaining about anything.

She explored him boldly but with just a touch of feminine coyness that left him gasping for air. This woman was exquisite in everything she did, and he had no idea how he had restrained himself these past five years. Any thought of restraint now was surely beyond him.

"Not here," he finally gasped, sliding his hands up so that he held her arms. When he squeezed, she pulled back and looked down at him in confusion.

"What?"

"Not here," Jason repeated firmly, bucking his hips enough so that he could slip out from underneath her.

"Why not?"

He stood and ignored her squeal – not to mention the growing snugness of his pants – when he hoisted her up in his arms. "Because I'll be damned if the first time I take you is on my ratty couch."

"I've always liked that couch," Elizabeth pouted, staring at the old red leather sofa. "You've had it since before I even met you."

Yes, and Jason had also had more women on that couch than he cared to remember, especially when the only woman that ever mattered was in his arms with her hands clasped at the nape of his neck. He rarely brought women back to his place, preferring instead to use the hotel room he had under lease at the Metrocourt for the past few years that he used exclusively for those purposes. (It worked very well when psychos like Sam McCall, who thought that he jilted them after proposing, didn't know where he really lived.) And on the rare occasions when he did bring women back to his actual apartment, he usually conducted his liaisons with them on that ratty old sofa. There was no way in hell he was adding Elizabeth to a long list of inconsequential flings on that couch.

He kissed her nose and walked into his bedroom, a richly appointed room that served as his sanctuary. "Forget the damn couch."

He set her down on the bed, expecting to join her after shedding his shirt, but Elizabeth had other ideas. She scurried to the edge and hopped off, then pushed him down into a sitting position instead. And Jason had to sit there, his hands gripping the edge of the bed, as she toyed with him.

Elizabeth's dark eyes glittered as she brushed his hair back from his face, her fingers tangling in the thick locks. Jason let her tilt his head back and closed his eyes, expecting to feel her lips on his skin. He was surprised, however, when she instead trailed her fingers down the column of his throat and played with the collar of his shirt, pretending to deliberate over whether she wanted it off or not.

He gripped her wrists, letting her know with a firm look that she'd better make up her mind before he made it for her. But Elizabeth just smiled and trailed her fingers down his chest, under the cotton, and gently raked her nails across his skin. There was no way she was going to let him rush her.

Slowly, she peeled the shirt off his shoulders, down his arms, and tossed it aside. And when he started to reach for her to return the favor, she swatted his hands away and, gripping his shoulders for balance, neatly straddled him. Jason had to bite back a groan when she ran her fingers through his hair, tilting his head back, and angled her hot mouth over his. His own hands found her backside and squeezed, spurring her on as the kiss grew harder and rougher.

Elizabeth's mouth left his and moved along the line of his jaw, dropping hot, wet kisses there before she moved on to the spot just behind his ear that always drove him wild. He brought his hands around and skimmed them up her thighs, his thumbs pressing down on the supple muscles and drawing little mewls from her.

Breathing heavily, Elizabeth brushed her hair away from her face and climbed off of him, standing on two slightly wobbly legs just a foot away. "Get up."

"What?"

"Get up," she ordered, holding out her hands. He grasped them and let her pull him to a standing position. Elizabeth met his gaze, her dark eyes smoldering, and stepped so close that he thought she was going to kiss him again. But she resisted when he lowered his mouth toward hers, maintaining eye contact as she brought her hands to the waistband of his pants.

She played with his belt buckle, watching the little muscle in his jaw spasm when her fingers 'accidentally' brushed the skin just under his navel. She tilted her head back, watching him with unabashed interest as she undid the clasp and pulled the leather strap from the belt loops. It zinged through the air and she let it fall with a swish to the floor.

Jason brought his hand up to cup her cheek, growling when she swatted it away and tugged hard on the flap of his pants, bringing his pelvis crashing against hers. Elizabeth smirked and brushed her lips teasingly against his as she slowly lowered the zipper, making sure to gently brush her knuckles all the way down his length as she did so.

And before he could grab her and kiss her soundly, she placed a quick kiss on his chin, then another one at the base of the column of his throat, and then lower and lower down his chest as she tugged his pants low enough for him to step out of them. Jason peeled off his socks with his toes and found himself once again shoved onto the bed, his legs dangling off the edge, as Elizabeth moved quickly to straddle him.

"Bossy," he grumbled, snaking a hand under her wild curls until he clasped her neck. Her mouth descended on his, hot and sweet, just as he'd always imagined it, and he was rewarded when she swiped her tongue across his bottom lip and then, hesitantly, into his mouth.

That was his girl. Confident, demanding, bold, but still just a touch coy. He loved that about her, loved that she could take control of any situation that presented itself but still leave just enough to him. It was why they made such a good team during the last five years, and why he'd come to depend on her and think of her as virtually indispensable.

And now, with Elizabeth crawling up the length of his body and swirling her tongue languidly around his, Jason knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that the glorious woman he was finally able to give in and touch was fully indispensable.

He didn't want to know what had gone wrong in her life that prompted her to show up at his door. He didn't want to know how that fucknut Spencer managed to screw things up. And he didn't want to know which idiot friend of his had recorded him making all those lewd promises and then turned the footage over to her.

As far as Jason was concerned, those things were of little consequence, especially when he finally had the woman he had wanted in his life – in every way – for the past five years.

"Sit up."

Elizabeth pulled back just a touch, her hair cascading over her shoulders and tickling his. "What?"

"Sit up."

She did as he asked, but her expression remained confused. "Why- Oh!"

That was all the time Jason needed to grasp the sides of her button-down blouse and pull, causing the little buttons to skitter and ping around them. He grinned when he saw her lacy black bra underneath, but Elizabeth was far from amused.

"Jason!" She gritted her teeth and angrily swatted his roaming hands away. "I really liked this shirt."

"You'll like _this _a lot more," he promised. But when he bucked his hips, attempting to unseat her so that he could roll them over, Elizabeth braced her weight on her knees and firmly resisted.

"I don't think so," she growled, wagging a finger at him as if he were a disobedient child. "No, no. I've waited long enough to do this – now that I am, I'm doing it _my _way."

And Jason was left to puzzle over that remark as Elizabeth tossed her hair over her shoulder and leaned down, her eyes downright menacing.

"You're going to listen to me, Jason, and you're going to do everything I say." Her dark eyes glittered with promise and threat, and Jason wasn't even a little ashamed when that proved to only excite and arouse him more. "I haven't had sex in five months – do you understand that? So right now, you're going to do _every _last thing I say."

"That could be fun," he agreed, "but I might have a better idea."

Elizabeth smirked despite herself. "I've already heard all your ideas thanks to Johnny and Spinelli."

Ah, Johnny and Spinelli. Those were the two little shits that ratted him out. He'd have to buy them a steak or something. Or those paintball lessons they'd been blabbing about for the past month.

"What, you think I give out all my ideas?" Jason asked, cocking a brow in the arrogant, self-serving manner that he knew drove her crazy. "No guy ever spills _all _his moves to his friends."

She actually appeared to be considering this. "…You have to tell me first."

He grinned and shook his head. "Not a chance."

Elizabeth's jaw dropped, and he sensed a full-on whine coming on. "Jason, come on. That's not fair."

He shrugged, not looking particularly concerned with fairness. "I guess it just comes down to one thing."

"What?"

The corner of his mouth hooked up. "Do you trust me?"

There was really no answer to that aside from the one, and after a long moment, Elizabeth hung her head. "Fine."

"Don't look so sad," Jason laughed, unable to help himself as he sat up on the bed. Gingerly, Elizabeth climbed off of him and sat down with a sigh, looking as if she were going in to see the dentist instead of having a romp with her closest friend in the whole world.

"Whatever. Just do it."

"Romantic," he muttered, snaking an arm around her waist so that he could pull her, squealing, into his lap. "First things first…"

He crushed his lips to hers, letting her know in no uncertain terms that she would enjoy what would happen next. Elizabeth sighed happily and cradled his face in her hands, letting him continue his assault on her mouth.

"You always have a plan, don't you?"

Jason chuckled and their noses bumped together. "When it comes to what I'd do to you in bed? Oh, yeah."

"Well, I'm waiting, but so far it's been a whole lot of nothing," Elizabeth shrugged. "Honestly, Jason, you're going to have to pull out all the stops, or I might get bored and leave."

"I'd like to see you try," he muttered, disengaging long enough to get off the bed. He stood in front of her legs and resisted her attempts when she tried to stand as well. Instead, he leaned forward and undid the snap of her dress pants, prompting her to lift her hips so he could slide the material down her legs and to the floor. He took his time removing her kitten-toe pumps and grasped her ankle, forcing her knees to bend, and rejoined her on the bed.

Elizabeth bit her lip as she scooted back, giving him room on the mattress. "What are we doing?"

"If you have to ask," he murmured, kneeling now and offering her his hand, "then I'm not doing it right."

She eyed his hand, the growing excitement evident in her eyes, and slipped her palm in his. "I might be persuaded to give you another chance…"

Jason smiled indulgently and tucked her hair behind her ears. They were kneeling on the bed, face-to-face, him dressed in his boxer-briefs and she in her panties, bra, and buttoned down blouse.

"Look over there."

She turned her face in the direction he gestured.

"See those closet doors?"

The doors in question were actually mirrors – full length mirrors behind which he kept all the suits and dress clothes he had to wear for work.

"You've always hated those mirrors," she murmured, losing her balance just slightly when he crawled across the mattress so that he was kneeling behind her. "Complained about them all the time. You said you were going to have them taken out."

It was true, Jason did hate those closet doors. He always thought it was a horribly vain place to install mirrors. Still, those doors saved him the trouble of going out to get a full length mirror – which, again, he thought was horribly vain – and he did need to make sure that he looked all right in the ridiculous monkey-suits he had to wear.

His electric blue eyes met hers in the mirrors and glittered wickedly. "Yeah, but today, you're going to _love _those mirrors."

Jason maintained eye contact for as long as he could as he gently brushed her hair off her shoulder. He nuzzled her temple, prompting her to tilt her head, and then lowered his lips to a spot just under her ear that made her purr.

"Watch," he ordered when he saw her eyelids flutter shut. Elizabeth's eyes snapped open, almost helplessly, and found their reflections on the closet doors. "I want you to watch everything I do to you."

He straightened and met her gaze evenly in the mirrors, emboldened by her sexy little gasp and the way her lips parted in surprise. A wicked smirk made the corner of his mouth quirk up, and Jason lowered his hands to her blouse.

And Elizabeth was forced to watch, motionless, as he slowly slid his hand over her skin to first part the shirt, revealing porcelain skin and her lacy black bra underneath. Instead of stripping it off immediately like she thought he would, Jason left the unbuttoned shirt on and skimmed the fingers of one large hand down again from the column of her throat, between the valley of her breasts, down over her navel, and skimmed the edge of her black panties, letting just his fingertips dip underneath.

He could feel the light tremors that ran through her body at his gentle touch, and Jason smiled against her neck. Elizabeth groaned when he nipped at her sensitive skin, soothing the bite with his tongue, and then trailed lower. He grasped her collar with his fingers and slowly peeled it off her shoulders, letting it slip down her arms and onto the mattress.

"Keep watching," Jason murmured against her skin when he felt her turn her face toward him. He nudged her jaw with his nose, redirecting her to the spectacle in the mirrors, and inhaled her scent.

Elizabeth sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck, raking her nails over his scalp just hard enough to make him hiss. Her movements caused her back to arch and her breasts to push forward and Elizabeth watched the change in the mirror, fascinated. Jason, never one to let a good opportunity go to waste, reached around and cupped her in his hands, squeezing her gently.

She rested her head on his shoulder and groaned when he did it again. Jason took his time, rolling her soft weight in his palms, strumming her through the black lace, teasing the flesh in his hands until she squirmed against him and her derriere began to cause friction against his growing hardness.

He kissed the shell of her ear and flicked at the front snap of her bra, easily undoing it. She tensed momentarily as his hands hovered over her skin, as he gently grasped the ends and peeled the black lace off her breasts, and slowly down her arms. And she remained tense as his palms hovered over her, the light heat of him radiating outward and teasing her equally warm flesh. And finally, when he touched her and molded her to his palms and pumped her with just a touch of roughness, Elizabeth relaxed and leaned into him.

Her lips found his as Jason played with her flesh, strumming her now more roughly than he had before. Her back arched, pushing her bottom more firmly against his burgeoning erection, and he hissed and nipped her lower lip. Her arms slipped down from around his neck and wound around his middle, and Elizabeth scored his back with her nails, leaving reddened trails on the unbroken skin.

"Are you watching?"

His gruff voice stirred something wicked inside of her, something absolutely wild and impious and beyond recognition and for reasons she couldn't begin to comprehend or articulate, Elizabeth found her gaze drawn right back to the sinful display in the full-length mirrors. The sunlight filtered in through the lowered drapes, casting a dusty golden glow around them, and she couldn't push the erotic image of them from her mind.

She was kneeling on the bed in front of him clad only in her black panties and Jason was behind her, his large, dark hands teasing and torturing her flesh. She liked to think that she was experienced enough sexually for a woman her age, that she certainly wasn't a prude and she knew a few things about how to please a man in bed and be pleased in return. But Elizabeth had never done anything that felt as sinful and incredible as what she felt now and simultaneously watched happen in front of her.

Her hands skimmed boldly down his sides until her thumbs brushed the elastic waistband of his boxer-briefs. She snapped the band against his skin, smirking when he hissed, and then gave each side a good downward tug. Jason squirmed when the band constricted just over his arousal and quickly shoved the offending underwear down and kicked it way. Elizabeth laughed at his frustration, but the chuckles quickly stopped when she felt him, free and unbound, press insistently against her.

Jason nipped at her ear none-too-delicately. "You're still overdressed."

"Do something about it," she challenged sweetly. "Come on, Morgan, take the initiative."

He stroked her abdomen under her navel in one smooth, hard stroke, and let his little finger skim under the edge of her low-rise panties. "Only if you _watch_."

His insistent demands set the tempo, and Elizabeth stared at their reflections as Jason nipped her ear one last time and, meeting her gaze, hooked his index fingers under the band of her panties, and slowly lowered them.

She sucked in her breath as she was exposed, and Jason's eyes began to smolder. He grasped her waist and repositioned himself behind her. Elizabeth closed her eyes and turned her face toward his, feeling the heat radiate off his body and seep into hers, and then she felt him behind her, between her legs, and gripped his strong arms when she felt her knees weaken.

Jason brought one hand up to gently cup the underswell of her breast, testing its soft weight, and stroked her low across her belly. His gaze never wavered from hers in the mirror as his hand moved lower, his probing fingers inched downward, and Elizabeth gasped and arched her back, throwing her head back on his shoulder when he finally touched her.

With her head thrown back like that, Jason had even better access to her throat, and he kissed and nibbled as he pleased while his fingers explored her warm, slick flesh. Elizabeth whimpered and dug her nails into his skin, starting to writhe under his commanding touch.

She never imagined that being with Jason could be like this. She had always thought that she and Lucky had good chemistry in bed: together, they had been rough and playful and tender and fierce, and they had challenged each other and made each other laugh, too. But being with Jason…

She shivered, both from his ministrations and the delight in reliving what had thus far transpired. He was domineering and seductive and bold, gloriously wicked as he forced her to watch her own wanton behavior, but he made her feel so safe and secure. It was probably because she already trusted him more than anyone else in her life. Jason Morgan was strong, reliable, generous and trustworthy in every other area of her life; why shouldn't he be all those things in the bedroom, too?

Her sharp cry rang out in the dimly lit room when he slipped the tip of his finger inside her. Jason wound his other arm tightly around her middle, holding her securely against him so he could continue to pleasure her as he wished without her bucking away. He was fully erect now, and every time Elizabeth moved her hips she could feel him against her.

"Watch."

It was the hardest thing she had ever done. Lifting her eyes to the mirror while Jason slipped his finger even deeper inside of her was the hardest thing Elizabeth had ever done, and he waited until she was ready to do so.

Jason nuzzled her temple when she shivered and smoothed his rough hand down to her thigh. He gripped her firmly and squeezed, spreading her legs just a little wider. She whimpered again and squirmed against him, and Jason had to grit his teeth to stay focused. Each one of her little mews and pants sent his blood sizzling through his veins, and he was rapidly nearing the threshold of his control.

It was as if she knew it, too, and clearly she was reaching her own. Elizabeth bit her lip and swished her hips just so, brushing firmly against him this time, and was rewarded with Jason's snarl in her ear.

With a lightly muttered curse, he let her go and gripped her hips instead, this time pushing her down onto the mattress. Elizabeth let out a gasp as her back hit the pillows and reached for him immediately, already missing his warmth. And she didn't have to wait long: Jason was on top of her instantly, gripping her wrists and pinning her down beneath him as he covered her with his body and crushed his mouth to hers.

Elizabeth squirmed and bucked, her hips rising up shamelessly to grind against his, and Jason forced her back down. He overpowered her, overwhelmed her, and she loved every exhilarating minute of it. His hands gripped her wrists so hard she was sure there would be bruises there by the time they were through, but she wouldn't have dreamed of asking him to ease up. Because what this was right now – raw, hard, sweaty, uninhibited and explicit – was absolutely perfect.

He insinuated his thigh between her legs and twisted so that he was nestled firmly and comfortably against her. She turned her face away, looking toward the mirrors once more, and Jason took the cue to drop hot, wet kisses all down the column of her throat. Elizabeth ran her hand down his back, fascinated by the mirrored movements, and then dug her fingers into his backside. Jason bucked at that, surprised by the possessiveness of the move, and was rewarded with her wicked smirk.

The gleam in his expressive eyes told Elizabeth that he just couldn't wait any more, and she didn't blame him. If he held off for one more minute, she was sure she was going to scream. Reluctantly, he let go of her wrists and let her grip his shoulders as he adjusted his weight, bracing it on his elbows so he loomed over her.

She arched her back when he finally entered her, inch by inch, and went entirely still otherwise. Jason, mindful of her expression for the slightest sign of pain, continued to push forward little by little until at last he was buried to the hilt. He let out a breath of relief that sounded almost like a sob, and Elizabeth gripped his broad shoulders tightly, urging him not to stop.

His hips had already started moving in that ancient rhythm, and once he heard her mews and breathy little moans, Jason grew more frenzied in his movements. His hips thrust forward, rotating and rocking, and he urged her to match him.

Two hands slipped underneath her, angling her upward, and it was all she needed. His attention and care earlier and all through their encounter had her primed and ready, and Elizabeth didn't need any additional help. She found her release swiftly and called out his name on broken syllables. With a few more thrusts and a few dark words, Jason came as well.

There was no telling how long they lay together, his arm wrapped around her waist and her head resting in the cavern of his neck. It was long after their breathing returned to normal and their hearts pumped in normal rhythm again. For Jason, who had suffered a fitful night's sleep thanks to thoughts of Elizabeth's certain engagement and sure banishment from his romantic life forever, it was long enough for him to slowly drift off to sleep, his breath gently rustling through her hair.

And for Elizabeth, who finally regained her clarity of mind after the unexpected confrontation and their passionate encounter, it was long enough for her to wonder just what the hell she was doing. Jason was her absolute best friend in the world, a man that she trusted and a man that came to her aid without fail, and she would never forgive herself for toying with his emotions. She had known from the beginning that he had feelings for her. She knew it in how he looked at her and how he spoke to her and how he listened to her. But she had been with Lucky at the time, and he was forever carousing with his nameless horde of adoring women, and they had both tacitly agreed to let it go undiscussed.

But now…

She turned her head just slightly and felt his stubble brush against the sensitive skin at her temple. She had come to his apartment on her own and seduced and taunted and teased him into bed. Granted, he hadn't needed much persuasion, but that was hardly the point. They had done this together, and now that the heat of the moment had dissipated, they had to think clearly about it.

Or rather, she had to think clearly about it. Elizabeth already had a good idea what Jason would say if she asked him about it. He would want to be together despite all the complications, all the baggage. Because the fact remained that she was a recently not-engaged woman who had just discovered that her fiancé, a man that had promised to remain celibate with her until their wedding night, had impregnated a teenager. She left him and not even twelve hours later found herself in bed with her best friend and boss.

Oh, God, they'd have to disclose their relationship to HR.

Eff. She hated HR.

Still, that was the least of her troubles. What she really needed to do right now was look at the situation objectively – ha, as if that were even possible – and figure out how to proceed next. Jason deserved so much better than being a 'consolation prize,' and she'd be damned if she ever let him think that he was.

His grip on her waist tightened and Jason snuggled closer, his lips nuzzling her ear. "…Elizabeth?"

She smiled softly and reached up to gently brush her fingers through the hair by his ear. "Yeah?"

"…Marry me."

A long pause stretched between them, and Elizabeth finally patted his cheek one last time and withdrew her hand, placing it on the one he had wrapped around her waist. "Go back to sleep, Jason."

And it was only because he actually was asleep – another drunken, slumbering proposal – that Jason let that go without a response and, sighing gruffly, drifted right back off again.


	4. Chapter 4

Prompt - Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk

**The Heart of the Problem**

_Not too long afterwards…_

"I can't believe that dip shit got a teenager pregnant!" Johnny Zacchara could hardly keep from laughing as the men all congregated at Jake's once more. "He's a fricking officer of the law and he got a teenager pregnant! And not just any teenager, but the Commissioner's daughter!"

"Is Mac pressing statutory rape charges or anything like that?"

Jason shook his head. "Nope. Maxie's nineteen. Spencer's safe."

"Safe is a relative term," Patrick muttered, pouring himself some scotch before passing the bottle over to Jason. "I mean, the whole town knows now that he's a complete louse. He cheated on his childhood sweetheart, who he was engaged to marry, with a teenager. And he got her pregnant and only stepped up because Mac would have Robert kill him and dump his body in the back harbor if he refused to acknowledge Maxie and their child. Complete, unmitigated jackass."

"Thanks for the nut-shelling," Spinelli chuckled.

"I doubt you'll hear any argument from Jason, though, about that," Johnny smiled, mock-toasting his friend before he tossed his tequila back. "After all, things couldn't have worked out better for you."

He could have taken offence – after all, it sounded like the kid was insinuating that Jason was happy that Elizabeth had been hurt because it meant that he could swoop in and take advantage of the situation – but he knew Johnny better than to think he meant anything by it.

"I'm just glad Elizabeth saw what kind of man he was," he replied simply, gently shaking his scotch so that the ice tinkled. "…And that I wasn't involved in showing her."

Patrick let out a laugh and roughly elbowed his friend. "There's the perspective we all know and love. So, how goes it, old man? It's been two weeks since the shit hit the fan, and we haven't heard a thing from you."

"Yeah," Johnny agreed. "You're holding out on us. Everyone already knows that you and Elizabeth are together, but you've conveniently forgotten to say anything of it to us. Come on!"

Spinelli was reaching for his notebook and a pen. "Go ahead, Stone Cold. And speak slowly – sometimes I can't keep up."

But their friend only shrugged. "Sorry."

The men stared at him, dumbfounded, and a good minute passed before anyone spoke.

"What?"

Jason shrugged. "Not telling you idiots a thing. Worked out great for me last time."

Spinelli's jaw dropped at his mentor's sarcasm. "But – But – but the last time you told us about Elizabeth, it got you laid! We know for a fact it got you laid!"

"Elizabeth sent us a text, thanking us for keeping a close eye on you," Johnny agreed, holding up his phone for added emphasis. "Come on, man, tell us! Be cool."

"Nope." Jason finished off his scotch and reached for the bottle again. "I'm good, thanks. I can still manage without you guys, believe it or not."

"Fine," Johnny relented as Spinelli began to pout. "Just tell us this – any more drunken, sleepy proposals?"

Jason shook his head. "Thank God, no. I still wake up every morning expecting her to start talking about weddings and how 'romantic' my proposal was last night or shit like that, but thankfully…nothing. I think I got over that, whatever it was."

Thank freaking God.

Because after all, when he did ask Elizabeth to marry him, he would like to actually remember it.

_One year later…_

Her boyfriend was a complete, hopeless ass.

This was what Elizabeth decided after the following things happened.

(1) She woke up alone in bed and realized she'd slept through the alarm and that Jason was already up and ready but hadn't woken her  
(2) He didn't make her a cup of coffee like he always did every single morning since they moved in together roughly a year ago, and they were running late so she had to do without  
(3) He finished the last of the cereal and tossed the box, forcing her to grab breakfast from her emergency stash of icky granola bars  
(4) He 'accidentally' – the jury was still out on that – trod over the pretty black shoes she was planning to wear with her new tan-and-purple trumpet skirt  
(5) He barked at her to hurry the hell up even though he knew she had gotten a late start, no thanks to him

He had been deathly silent all through the drive to work and was out of the car not even a second after pulling the key from the ignition. And he even refused to open the door for her! Not that she needed him to – she was more than capable of getting out of a motor vehicle all by herself, thank you very much – but it was something he always did and something she had gotten used to.

Elizabeth trotted along after him, trying to catch up, and resisted the urge to swat his arm when she finally did but only because they were in full view of the building and she couldn't very well let anyone see her hit him.

"What the hell is the matter with you?"

He snarled under his breath but ignored her otherwise, picking up the pace and leaving her behind once again. When they reached the building, he was through the doors in a flash and only barely held them open for her, his arm extended as far back as it would go lest he actually found himself sharing her personal space.

Elizabeth scowled as they both marched past the security guards in the lobby. What a great way to start the day.

"Morning, Mr. Morgan, Ms. Webber."

Jason ignored them but Elizabeth, even though her mood was most foul indeed thanks to her louse of a boyfriend, couldn't quite bring herself to be that rude.

"Morning, Max, Milo. Have a nice day."

"You, too."

They turned the corner and headed for the elevators, but Jason surprised her at the last moment by ducking into the stairwell. Elizabeth huffed under her breath and jabbed the button with two fingers, quickly stepping on and pressing the Doors Close button immediately.

He was on the floor before she was and already heading to his office, so Elizabeth took a minute to duck into the staff lounge to get some coffee and poke around in the fridge for some food before heading to her adjoining office. Sometimes, working so closely with Mister Jason Morgan just wasn't her cup of tea.

Exactly five minutes later, her assistant Amelia Joffe came trotting into the break room with a perplexed look on her face and tapped her shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"Is there something going on with Jason that I should know about?"

Elizabeth grabbed a muffin from the fridge and snagged a napkin, heading right back out. "Why?"

Amelia still looked distressed. "Because I just handed him the account records from Friday and he nearly bit my head off. I thought he was going to throw something at me."

She rolled her eyes and waved the redhead into her office. "He's just being difficult…that JERK!" The last part was added only after she had turned her face to the eastern wall of the room.

Amelia glanced at the wall that Elizabeth's office shared with Jason's. "On second thought? Whatever's going on between you two, you just go ahead and leave me out of it. I'm in my office if you need me. Please don't need me."

Elizabeth cracked a rueful smile as she watched her friend quickly leave the room. She didn't blame her for not wanting to be within a ten-foot pole of Jason and his temper. Whatever had crawled up his butt had clearly set up camp there and was hanging its clothes out to dry.

Half an hour later, Cooper Barrett poked his head into her office.

"Uh…Elizabeth?"

"Hey, Coop," she smiled brightly. "What do you need?"

"I'm just, uh, dropping by the expense reports," he replied, quickly walking up to her desk and handing her the file.

"Great, thanks for that. How's it going?"

"Fine," he replied, glancing nervously at the shared wall. "I gotta go. Please don't tell Mr. Morgan I was here. He told me ten minutes ago that if he saw my face in the hall he was going to fire my 'lazy ass.' If you ask me, he's the … never mind."

And an hour after that, a knock on her door announced the presence of Jagger Cates, a financier based in London that Morgan Enterprises had been courting as an investor for nearly three months. "Miss Elizabeth Webber?"

She quickly composed herself and hopped out of her seat, already sticking her hand out to the older man. "Mister Cates, a pleasure to see you again. What can I help you with?"

He glanced down the hall in the direction of Jason's office and frowned. "I had a meeting with Jason just now and he, uh, requested to cancel and postpone. At least, I think he requested it. It was hard to tell with all the extraneous language in there, and if I clean it up, I'm afraid it's not really a sentence anymore."

She closed her eyes, mentally kicking herself only because she couldn't kick that stupid, stupid man next door. "Mister Cates, I am so sorry. Please accept my apology on his behalf. Morgan Enterprises values you as an addition to our team of investors very much, and if Jason did request to postpone, I'm sure it's only because he's too…preoccupied at the moment to give you the attention and consideration you deserve."

"Hrm." The little grunt let her know in no uncertain terms that Jagger wasn't buying it. "Yes, well, normally I wouldn't do this, but I happen to like that kid, so I'll meet with him at his next convenience."

"I will call you personally with the date," Elizabeth replied immediately. "And thank you so much for understanding, Mister Cates."

Jagger looked as if he were about to walk away, but he stopped himself at the last minute and tapped his knuckles on the doorjamb, arching his brow just so. "You know, I don't know what's wrong with Jason, nor do I care to, but from what I hear and from what I've seen, you've always had a way with him."

He continued on, ignoring the way she blushed. "Miss Webber, if there was ever a time to walk in that office and deliver a swift kick to the rear, now would be it. And I think you're just the woman for the job."

Jagger winked and pulled away, and was gone before Elizabeth could close her mouth. Okay, really, this was just pathetic: being told by a potential investor and partner that Jason needed to get his act together. And what if Jagger hadn't been so understanding and reluctantly swayed by his genuine fondness for Jason? What then? They would have lost a valuable investor and a sound entrepreneurial voice just because her idiot boyfriend couldn't pull his head from his ass long enough to be useful.

Damn, he really must have been mad.

She gazed down the hall at his closed door, troubling her lip, then withdrew into her office before people could catch her staring. Maybe she'd go figure this out with him a bit later.

_A bit later…QUITE a bit later…_

That was it.

That was freaking IT.

She had no problem being the understanding girlfriend that got when her guy was in a bad mood and stayed out of his way until he felt better. She had absolutely no problem doing that. But when said guy-turned-ape skipped lunch to go on an extremely long bike ride (yeah, he had gone home in his car, picked up his bike, and come back in that, meaning that she would have to hike up her skirt and ride along with him if she wanted a ride home) and came back with his suit pants ripped, his knee bloodied, and bits of gravel stuck to his cheek, she had a problem.

And the best solution?

To freaking find out what his damn hissy fit was about and then smack him and tell him to get over it.

Not very sympathetic of her, no, but she was kind of tired of being sympathetic especially when it seemed that his anger and resentment were directed at her, and she hadn't even done anything wrong. They had fought before in the past six years, only one of which they spent together, and she knew how to handle his anger and get through to him, but this was completely different and just threw her for a loop.

He hadn't been like this last night – not at all. In fact, he had behaved in just the opposite manner. They spent the whole day out on his bike and when they came home she decided to take a bath and he joined her, and then he had cooked her dinner. She'd picked out a movie for them to watch and they'd just hung out together for hours, and then he made love to her before they fell asleep. It had been a perfect day, just relaxing with Jason, and she couldn't remember the last time she'd been so happy. But obviously, something had changed between then and now that put him in such a bad mood.

He was coming back from seeing Amy Vining, the one in charge of the First Aid kit and all those things, and appeared to have a white bandage wrapped around his knee. It stood out almost painfully from his black trousers.

Jason saw her coming and his scowl didn't lift. Elizabeth lifted her chin in the air and kept walking right for him, refusing to change course, duck into someone else's office, or turn around. Jason did the same.

And when their pathetic game of chicken was about to come to a head, Elizabeth grabbed his lapel in one hand and a doorknob in the other, and effectively pulled her stunned boyfriend into a supply closet. She pulled the door securely shut behind her back and looked defiantly up at him.

"Hey."

Jason scowled and felt around for the light. A cord hung from the ceiling just by his right shoulder and he grabbed it and yanked, and a single light bulb lit up their cramped surroundings.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm standing here talking to you," Elizabeth replied simply. "And I'm not backing down, so you can stop looking at me with your crazy eyes."

Jason scowled again and tried to push past her. "I have a meeting to get to."

She slammed her back against the door, making it clear that neither one of them was going anywhere. "So do I, but you don't see me crying about it."

"Elizabeth-"

"Jason." Her lips settled into a thin red line. "We have to talk."

His frown remained perfectly in place. "There's nothing to talk about."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, exasperated. "My God, will you stop being such a baby and just tell me what happened?"

Jason stared at her, his jaw clenched and his hands balled into fists. "What?"

But she refused to be cowed. "Just tell me what happened. You've been so mad all day and it feels like you're mad at me but I have no idea what I did! So tell me – what happened? You were in such a good mood yesterday; what changed?"

If possible, his complexion turned just a shade paler. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

The corner of her mouth pinched downward. "There's no need for that kind of language. And no, I'm not. What changed?"

He prowled closer, moving slowly and deliberately until he positively loomed above her. "You want to know what changed?"

She tipped her chin back to look up at him and resisted the urge to gulp. "Yes. What did I do?"

He let out a disbelieving bark of laughter and scrubbed a hand over his face. "I don't believe this. I don't fucking believe this."

"Jason-"

"You reject my proposal, and you want to know what _changed_?" He threw his hands up in the air, unable to believe any of it. "Everything changed!"

Elizabeth's lips parted in surprise. "What?"

"I asked you to marry me and you told me to _go back to sleep_," he accused, practically sneering the words in her face. "I set everything up to be perfect last night and you _patronized _me! And you want to know what changed?"

Her eyes began to glisten, and Elizabeth covered her mouth with her hand. "You asked me to marry you?"

Jason scowled at her ignorance. "And you fucking patronized me. Like I was joking. Why the hell would I joke about wanting to marry you?"

"Jason, I-" She swallowed roughly and tried to gather her thoughts. "I…Oh, Jason, I had no idea that you were serious. I thought…Oh, my God, you asked me to marry you. I didn't even think that you were…"

"Serious," he finished bitterly. "Yeah. Because I've proposed to how many women in my life? Don't answer that," he added gruffly when she opened her mouth to presumably remind him of the many drunken proposals to previous girlfriends.

"You didn't think I was serious," Jason repeated. He shook his head to himself and looked away. "Because I could never _seriously _propose to you, or because you could never seriously accept?"

Elizabeth shook her head furiously. "No, Jason, it's not what you-"

"So if you want to know what _changed_, or what _happened_, that's it. And if you want to pretend that it never happened, and if you want to go on like everything's fine and normal, you can do that. But I'm not built that way. Because when I ask a woman to marry me and I'm_ laughed at_, I have a hard time going on like everything's fine and-"

"Jason." She pressed her finger to his lips because she honestly didn't know how to make him stop talking. "Oh, my gosh, I can't believe that you were actually serious this time."

"This time?" he sputtered, her fingertips still pressed against his lips and impeding his speech slightly. "What the hell do-"

She shook her head, her liquid eyes shining with both sympathy and love. "Jason, you've asked me to marry you every single night since we moved in together."

His eyes widened, and a long moment passed before he spoke. "…What do – What are you saying?"

A small, true smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "You've asked me to marry you every single night. Every time we went to sleep, really."

Jason's eyes took on a look of sheer panic. "You mean I-"

Elizabeth nodded. "Every single night, you'd ask me right after you fell asleep. And remember when we went to Father Mateo's first sermon? You asked me to marry you when you dozed off in the pew. And remember when I made you watch _The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants_ with me? You asked me to marry you just when Alexis Bledel's character met up with that hot Greek boy on the boat. It was pretty romantic."

His cheeks burned a dull shade of red, and Jason could barely stand to look at her. "You mean…every single night?"

Her smile grew when he cringed visibly. "Afraid so. Sometimes I said to ask me in a year, sometimes I said yes, sometimes I recited quotes from the writings of Simone de Beauvoir about how marriage wrongfully imprisons women, and sometimes I told you to go back to sleep."

She stroked his cheek gently. "Jason, last night…Oh, Jason, I thought you were asleep. I-I had no idea that you were awake and that you were actually asking me to…"

Elizabeth trailed off, and now it was her turn to be shocked. "Oh, my God, you asked me to marry you."

His expression was far gentler now, and Jason actually managed a smirk despite the fact that he felt like the biggest idiot in the world. "Yeah, I did."

She covered her mouth with both her hands and her eyes began to glisten anew. "You really did."

He leaned closer and rested his forehead against hers. "Still wanna tell me to go back to sleep?"

Elizabeth shook her head frantically.

"You wanna tell me something else?"

She nodded her head frantically.

He tipped her chin up and gently brushed his thumb across her lip. "You want to say yes?"

She let out a laugh that half sounded like a sob and flung her arms around his neck. "Yes, Jason, yes!"

He rocked back on his heels when Elizabeth threw herself into his arms and wrapped his own tightly around her, savoring the moment. It felt so strange, knowing that this was the first time he really asked a woman to marry him (and she understood that it was for real) and that she said yes, but also knowing that he had literally popped the question hundreds of times before.

"I thought I had gotten past it," he got out as Elizabeth kissed his cheek, his jaw, his neck, his ear, and his mouth. "I thought I stopped randomly proposing in my sleep after we got together. This whole time – I thought I was doing it because for so long, I've wanted to ask you to be with me, and when you finally were, I just…snapped out of it. I can't believe…"

She shook her head and stopped him with a finger to his lips, and a bright grin that made her seem like she was lit from within tugged at her lips. "Jason? As far as I'm concerned, you can ask me to marry you every night for the rest of our lives, and I'll be absolutely, completely, perfectly happy."


End file.
